All posts tagged: integrity

The Culture of Pastoral Notoriety

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Part 2 in the series – “The Pulpit and The Pew” The number one thing rocking the pulpit with scandal after scandal in America, is the rock star status of celebrity pastors. From heresy to immorality, worldliness to apostasy, consumerism to greed, the culture of celebrity pastors is bringing the western church to its knees. It doesn’t matter if you pastor a mega church or a small church in your neck of the woods. Nor does it matter if you’ve written a book, air a television program of your own or have a just a few followers and fans. You can fall into the trap of desiring the status of “the next big thing” no matter where and who you are. Who is a celebrity pastor? The common mistake is to select big names, men or women whom God has apparently raised up as voices to this generation and brand them with a negative connotation. Another mistake is to pick on easy targets like those incredibly gifted to speak and lead, or those with a million …

Without good direction, people lose their way

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Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. Here are a few nuggets from Proverbs 11 to help guard us in the right direction: Lead a life of honesty God hates cheating in the marketplace; he loves it when business is aboveboard. Practice humility The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm. Use integrity as a guardrail The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin. Place more value on faith, hope and a principled life than on riches A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. Leave a good name and a good reputation everywhere you go Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. Seek to leave a lasting legacy When the wicked die, that’s it—the story’s over, end of hope. A …

From Prison to Prime Minister: 7 principles for divine favor

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When we read the bible, especially ancient stories like that of Joseph, the first question that comes to mind is – is this applicable in my life, is this relevant for our time? The answer to those questions is very simple. God made sure that what is recorded in the scripture will transcend time and minister to subsequent generations. If it worked for them, it will work for us. So “Yes”, God can raise you up from nothing. He can elevate you beyond your qualifications. He can promote you and cause you to be more influential than your peers. Let me share with you 7 Principles about how that can come about: Destiny Destiny is not necessarily where we can take ourselves but where God can take us. It is the prophetic promise on our live. It is his dream not ours. However we need to embrace his plan and align our lives with it. Joseph held dearly unto every revelation God gave to him. He wrapped his entire life around it and it lifted …

Integrity is not a Cantaloupe, it’s a Grapefruit?

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Integrity – what is it? Some times we say things like, integrity is being truthful, holy, pure, obedient to God, trustworthy, who you are and who you are supposed to be when no on is looking. But the word Integrity is from the latin “integer” and it means “unity.” What that means is, a person of integrity does not live a divided life. There is no difference between who you are Monday through Friday and what you are on Sunday. There is no difference between who you are on the job and who you are at home. Integrity must invade every part of your life. In most of the circles today, I often hear a lot of people say, “you either have integrity or you don’t.” How true is that assessment? Could that statement be misleading? Is there a better way to explain integrity? According to Fred Smith, the author of Leading with Integrity, integrity can be compared to a Cantaloupe and a grapefruit. You can have it in one area of your life, but it …

Keep your Vows even when it Hurts

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A few weeks ago, I felt compelled to meet with a brother from our congregation. I didn’t want to scold him, nor rebuke him, I simply wanted to talk to him about standing me up several times. He is one of those guys who’s very quick to volunteer for a project. You know, guys with very good intentions, willing to help, but really do not realize that they are over committing. I didn’t want to break out in a brand new teaching series on how to make and keep your vows; neither did I want to discourage his enthusiasm. But I had to tell him that he didn’t have to approach me every week to commit to something and not actually do the thing. I wanted him to actually think and plan about how he wanted to serve, than pursue it passionately. However, I did share the following scripture and thought with him: the faithful followers of the Lord, keep their promises even when it hurts. Psalm 154 NLT What I do not mean by keeping …

Top five (5) Things that Paralyze a Leader

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Lack of prayer power… Allen Vartlette once said that “seven days without prayer makes one weak.” A prayerless leader is a paralyzed leader. He has no power to lead. He has no inspiration to lead. He has nothing to move him forward. I don’t know where we got this prideful thinking that we are more creative than God himself is. We go about doing things without him. Prayer makes a world of difference in our decision making process. It makes a world of difference in our leadership abilities. I wish that we could take it a bit more seriously. Because prayer avails much… James 5:16 Lack of courage… “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke Doing nothing express no risk, exerts no initiative, and experiences no reward or truimph. Doing nothing is the natural bent of most men. Nothing is the fruit of passivity. Nothing is the consequence of a lack of conviction. It’s the by-product of lazy leadership at home, at church and in …